


Stories for Children

by killalla



Category: Watership Down - Richard Adams, ビースターズ | BEASTARS
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28994577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killalla/pseuds/killalla
Summary: All the world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you…
Relationships: Haru/Legosi (BEASTARS), Haru/Louis (BEASTARS)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Stories for Children

She doesn’t remember how old she was when she first heard one of the stories – it was probably from one of the grey hairs, for her parents liked to leave their children in the company of elders when they had to go away, even for a little while. It was safer, they said. Being babysat was boring, but the story wasn’t, which is probably why she didn’t forget it, nor the name of its hero.

What she does remember very clearly is how her parents reacted the first time she said his name out loud – play fighting with her brothers, when she declared that she would be the hero. Her mother shushed her almost at once, and told her that she must never, ever say that name out loud, and certainly not in the presence of anyone who wasn’t a rabbit.

 _My people are the strongest in the world, for they breed faster and eat more than any of the other people. And this shows how much they love Lord Frith, for of all the animals they are the most responsive to his warmth and brightness._

***

“But momma, isn’t he our hero? A rabbit hero?”

“Hush, Haru. No one talks about those horrible old stories anymore, and no one should – they’re violent and terrible. We live in a different world now, where herbivores can be safe and protected, as long as we are careful and follow the rules.”

_For Frith has given the fox and the weasel cunning hearts and sharp teeth, and to the cat he has given silent feet and eyes that can see in the dark, and they are gone away from Frith's place to kill and devour…_

***

But she hated being cautious, and careful and safe. And most of all, she hated being pitied. She wanted to be fierce and clever and brave like the Prince. If that meant that she would also have to face a thousand enemies, it would be worth it.

So, she started spending more time with the grey hairs, listening to every story they could recall, searching in old books and libraries. Some of the stories she wrote down in carefully hidden diaries, and others she would recite to herself, late at night. Once all of her sempai left the Gardening Club, she had only the flowers to talk to, so she would tell them the stories of the Prince, of how he outwitted Hufsa, defied Prince Rainbow, and tricked the conceited Rowsby Woof.

Then she discovered how easily males were attracted to her, and how she could be seen and be powerful. And she discovered how much other females would resent her for it, and she knew what it was to be hated and hunted, too.

When those same girls bullied her, when none of her classmates would speak to her face, but everyone would instead whisper behind her back, she would remind herself that like the Prince, she would outwit and outlast them all. That pride was enough to straighten her spine and force her head high.

_I am busy. The fox and the weasel are coming. If you want to bless me, you'll have to bless my bottom, for it is sticking out of the hole._

***

It was his pride that drew her to Louis. The first time they met, with him standing there covered in blood, having suddenly shed his antlers - proud and unwilling to let anyone see him without them, yet still arrogant enough to think he could buy her silence. It was an herbivore’s pride, desperate not to show the slightest weakness, and it reminded her of the Prince from her childhood tales. But she’s come to understand that Louis is both more and less than her trickster Prince, and that he has a different tale to finish.

Legoshi, of course, is nothing like the Prince. When she thinks about it, he is most like the villain King Darzin in his form, but in character he is perhaps more like Rabscuttle – not one to start a fight, but absolutely willing and able to finish it, when needed. And that makes sense, because in the end, she is the hero of her own story. Legoshi might be the Captain of her Owsla, but it is Haru who must be her own version of the promised Prince. After all, in those final moments, when she truly thought she was going to die, eaten by the head of the Shishigumi, she didn't think of Louis. Instead, it was Legoshi, and how she wanted to prove to him, to herself, that despite being caught, despite being terrified, she would be defiant in the face of death. 

Even if it killed her.

_All the world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you…_

*** 

“What are you writing, Haru-chan?”  
“Oh, it’s just a children’s story, from when I was little. Maybe it’s more like a re-telling?”  
“What’s it about?”  
“Well, there is a hero, El-ahrairah. He is called the Prince With a Thousand Enemies…”

_Digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed. ___

**Author's Note:**

> Watching Beastars, I was touched by Haru's spirit and determination, and it reminded me of some other fictional rabbits. Since El-ahrairah is a folk hero to them, I see no reason why he can't be one for Haru as well, paricularly since she shares a lot of his traits.
> 
> Excerpts from _The Blessing of El-ahrairah_ appear in italics.


End file.
